Dave Portnoy Is 'Sad' About 'Vicious Rumor' That 'Ruined' An Ole Miss Student's Life

Dave Portnoy, the founder of the popular site Barstool Sports, is admitting his company's mistake in fueling a "vicious rumor" that practically "ruined" an Ole Miss student's life.

In a new interview, the outspoken personality apologized and admitted he was "sad" about the situation after being asked what he'd like to say to the family of Mary Kate Cornett, a student who had to move off of campus after several media personalities amplified a rumor about her allegedly sleeping with her boyfriend's father.

During an interview with NBC News, Portnoy, 48, said he understood why the family of Cornett, 19, would be "pis-ed" at him and his company, adding the rumors "practically ruined" her life.

“I would apologize,” he said before calling the story a "vicious rumor."

He added, “I’m sad, and I wish we didn’t play any part in it.”

Although Portnoy never posted anything about the story himself, two personalities affiliated with his company, Kevin Clancy and Jack McGuire, did.

Regarding their actions, Portnoy blasted them for being "really stupid."

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Portnoy added. “I thought it was clearly a fake story. I thought we were better than that.”

Clancy, who's no stranger to controversy, posted his own apology video after Portnoy's public statement on behalf of his company.

In the video posted to X, formerly Twitter, the 41-year-old, who made headlines in 2018 after revealing he cheated on his pregnant wife, said he was "genuinely sorry" to Cornett and her family and friends.

Clancy called his decision to engage in spreading a "salacious rumor" a "bonehead" decision that he regrets deeply.

Later, the content creator with over 550,000 followers online mentioned his own daughter, acknowledging that someone bringing light to a nasty rumor in this way would be hurtful.

"Professionally speaking, I am way smarter than that. I have been doing this for a very long time, and I know better to engage in gossip and salacious rumors, particularly about someone who's not in the public eye, not in the industry, just a regular person who had a very nasty rumor made up about her," he said.

In 2018, Clancy's wife, Caitlin, blasted him online after she discovered he'd been cheating on her with his "mistress" since she was eight months pregnant.

“The kind, funny, relatable family man I thought I married is clearly lower, more insecure and more disrespectful than I ever imagined," she wrote, per Page Six.

In a since-deleted apology video, Clancy opened up about his decisions, calling himself a "coward" who behaved "like a boy when I should've behaved like a man."

"All I can do now is ask for forgiveness. Whether or not I get that forgiveness, all I can do is act in a way that's best for my wife and kids because I didn't do so in the past," he said, per PEOPLE.

Portnoy, Clancy, and Barstool Sports aren't the only public media figures apologizing for their wrongdoings.

During his "Big Night Aht" show, Pat McAfee, who hosts the ESPN series "The Pat McAfee Show," referenced his "current situation" and said he'd never want to bring "negative" attention to a person's life.

“I have a lot of people saying that I should be sued,” McAfee said. “I want to say this: I never, ever want to be a part of anything negative in anybody’s life, ever. That is not what I want to do.”

He added, "For that whole thing that’s happening, I didn’t want to add any more negativity as it was taking place.”

Cornett opened up to The Athletic about McAfee's statements in early April 2025, saying she wanted the talking head held "accountable" for his actions.

“I would like people to be held accountable for what they’ve done,” she said. “You’re ruining my life by talking about it on your show for nothing but attention, but here I am staying up until 5 in the morning, every night, throwing up, not eating because I’m so anxious about what’s going to happen for the rest of my life.”

The Blast previously reported about Portnoy's recent issue with golf legend Tiger Woods, who came forward with his relationship with President Donald Trump's ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump.

In his post, Woods said he was excited about their future together before asking the public for "privacy."

His request for discretion bothered Portnoy, who quoted the post on X and blasted the champion for making a "ridiculous request."

"Tiger asking for privacy for dating Don Jr.'s wife is an all-time ridiculous request," he shared.

In early 2025, Portnoy shared that he lost a $1m bet on the Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl.

During a close game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Josh Allen and the Bills didn't get a needed first down that could have changed the game's trajectory.

Portnoy had a meltdown online, blasting the Chiefs and the referees for what he believed was a bad call.

"Again, how the hell is the ref staring at Josh Allen's back, the one who overrules the ref staring at the ball, and who had the right spot? #BillsMafia #nflrigged," he wrote.

Drue Tranquill, one of the Chiefs' linebackers, quoted Portnoy's post and took a swipe at him.

"Should have taken your $1M from #TrumpCoin and taken a nice vacation. He didn't get it & you know it. #GoChiefs," he shared.